South Africa: MBA 'Not a Magic Key to Top Jobs'
Business Day (Johannesburg)
Sanchia Temkin
Johannesburg
GRADUATES with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) who have little business experience should not believe they can walk into top jobs and operate at a strategic level by virtue of their newly acquired qualification.
Although the qualification has value, particularly when it comes to business education and personal skills development, it does not provide the keys to the corporate world, and is no substitute for sound experience, Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, said yesterday.
Goodman-Bhyat said many people studied for an MBA because they assumed it would allow them to leapfrog into a senior position in a different field with a huge salary hike.
"The reality is that sound experience is still the job seeker's most appealing attribute, especially now that the number of MBA graduates on the market had diminished the competitive advantage previously associated with the qualification." Employers are far less impressed by an MBA than might have been the case even 10 years ago, and people thinking about studying for the degree need to consider what it can realistically do for their careers, Goodman-Bhyat said.
There are about 17 locally accredited MBA schools in SA offering more than one programme. More than 4000 MBA students enrol at local business schools annually. Some MBA programmes are run by Wits University, University of Cape Town, and University of SA. Henley, de Montfort and Heriot Watt also offer MBA programmes in the UK and Europe.
"Of course, it's important to remember that not all MBA's are equal," Goodman-Bhyat said. "Some of these qualifications are of average quality and are nothing more than cash-cow programmes for B-grade educational institutions. On the other hand, an MBA from a top quality institution can undoubtedly add value by supplementing a more general or non-commerce undergraduate qualification, and as such can round out an academic portfolio," she said.
Goodman-Bhyat said MBA graduates should have realistic expectations about what the degree will achieve in the short to medium term. "Without really impressive experience behind you, an MBA cannot be expected to produce miraculous results."
She noted, however, that even for less experienced individuals, an MBA qualification could contribute to a person's growth and development in numerous ways, including the spin-off of the networking opportunities that an MBA experience could provide.
She suggested people work for several years before considering the MBA option. "Potential students will then know how they are going to use the qualification, allowing them to ask directed questions and get most out of the course," she said.
